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The tournament is forcing many Iranian Americans to choose between celebrating their heritage and rejecting the government that claims to represent it.
A man raises the Islamic Republic of Iran's flag, which appears on the Iranian men's national soccer team's uniform, in Tehran on June 3. | Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — When Iran’s men’s soccer team takes the field at SoFi Stadium on June 15 for its first FIFA World Cup match, many Iranian Americans won’t be rooting for the team.
The reason has been stitched onto every player’s jersey: the flag of the Islamic Republic.
